


i walked into the room dripping in gold

by kolbietheninja



Series: they stare at me while i stare at you [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Haizaki, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance, although ridiculous & awful customers make a cameo, i'm way too invested in this, this is so dumb i'm sorry, unrealistic portrayal of job as a barista lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-24 21:19:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9787403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kolbietheninja/pseuds/kolbietheninja
Summary: In which Shougo is a barista with no brain-to-mouth filter and zero patience for BS, Satsuki is his sadistic best friend/manager who finds forcing him on the general populace to be hilarious, and Ryouta is the unfairly pretty customer who keeps hitting on him, despite the warning signs.Clearly, this is a recipe for disaster.





	

**Author's Note:**

> more haikise fluff bc i'm insatiable. read lots of retail horror stories, so i threw some of those in there, but this is basically every other barista au out there, lmao. read it anyway? ;)
> 
> The titles for this fic and the series are lyrics from "Crave You" by Flight Facilities.
> 
> Warnings: vulgar language, unrepentant fluff, unrealistic portrayal of job as a barista/a coffee shop, and some loose ends bc this is part one of a series of one-shots in this 'verse
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket.

He's violently jolted from his half-doze against the counter by that godawful cheery tinkling Shougo is sure will be permanently imprinted in his fucking brain, and he whips his head up to glare at the fucker who's responsible for opening the door and jingling that stupid bell - only to stop short.

Said fucker is tall, probably a little taller than Shougo, and he looks about the same age. He's wrapped up in a stylish, sleek coat and a cozy, thick scarf, the ends trailing freely.

Blond hair feathers a face that has long eyelashes and full, pink lips and rosy cheeks (likely from the cold), and damn, he's the prettiest person Shougo's ever laid eyes on, fucking hell.

"How the fuck are you so pretty," Shougo blurts without thinking, way too loudly, and the fake, celebrity smile the man was shooting him morphs into one of surprise and then genuine delight.

"Oh. Thank you," the guy says, grinning now, big and real and amused, and fuck, he looks even better this way.

Shougo scowls - his default reaction to almost any situation - and huffs, "Wasn't a compliment."

Because it wasn't. Right.

That gets him a laugh, and Shougo is most certainly not idly thinking that the dude's laugh is as pretty as his smile.

...Maybe a bit. It's rich and warm, okay?

Ugh, fuck, why do his thoughts always betray him like this? Where is the solidarity? Where is the mental bro-code? Why can't he even have his own back?

He valiantly resists the urge to bang his head against the counter and merely dismisses that dumbass train of thought.

"You gonna order, or what?" Shougo asks, impatient for this awful interaction to be over already. "You're holdin' up the line."

The man quirks a brow at him and then very pointedly turns to look at the empty space behind him.

In return, Shougo very pointedly does not acknowledge the unspoken, doubtful 'are you sure' and continues staring steadily at the stupidly attractive customer. "What do you want?"

Laughing again (why), the guy actually asks him with a straight fucking face and a wink, "What if I say 'you'?"

...?

!

Flushing horribly, Shougo fucking flounders because _where did that come from, holy shit_ , but his ever faithful anger rears its ugly head and takes over for the reeling, utterly stunned once-sensible part of him.

"Not on the fucking menu," he says, as quietly as he can manage.

He's already been reprimanded twice for raising his voice at customers. No need to add another fucking tally to the list of favors he owes Satsuki for constantly getting his ass out of trouble. It's both a boon and a fucking nightmare that she's the manager of this shit hole and that she likes him enough to keep him around.

"Aww," the guy says, pouting. "I really thought that was going to work."

Incredibly, he's not even a little intimidated by Shougo or riled up at the rude rejection. He's still just- playfully bantering. Shougo's not used to people brushing off his harsh words so easily, nor anyone who would want to keep up a friendly conservation afterwards, excluding his precious few friends and family.

This is... new.

Despite feeling a little off-balance, Shougo snorts, a hint of a smirk pulling at his lips. "Not with that shitty ass line."

The guy laughs again and tells him, casually, "I'm usually much more smooth, but honestly, you're so adorable, it's distracting me."

Shougo makes a startled, inhuman noise, blushing to the tips of his ears, and leaves his mouth hanging open like a dumbass, words abandoning him along with his sanity and his dignity.

Sayonara, fuckers. No one needs you traitorous bitches anyway.

"...what," he manages, after multiple tries and a shit ton of mental cursing, torn between being flattered or offended. He's not fucking adorable. "The fuck," he adds for good measure.

The guy smiles at him, pretty and gentle and teasing, and it reaches his eyes, which are golden and gorgeous and dancing with laughter. Thankfully, however, he decides to change the subject. "I'll have the pumpkin spice latte, I think. Medium."

"Okay," Shougo says, relieved. "Here or to go?"

Surprisingly, the guy grimaces a bit. "To go. I've got- work." He seems disappointed, which is weird because while this cafe is small and welcoming, it's not anything special. Maybe he just has a shit job.

He refuses to contemplate any other reasons for that expression.

"That'll be three hundred yen," he says, stuffing the questions aside to do his own shitty job, and then he accepts the money. "What's your name?"

"...Kise," the guy tells him, sort of glumly. "Kise Ryouta." His face is unreadable, but Shougo gets the feeling it's equal parts resigned and expectant.

He raises an eyebrow. "Okay? Just wait a minute, and I'll have it ready."

The newly named Kise blinks at him, owlishly, before laughing again, and Shougo rolls his eyes, deciding to just make the damn drink and get this weirdo out of his sight already.

Speaking of sight... He can feel Kise's eyes on his back as he efficiently blends everything together and creates the disgustingly cute - and surprisingly tasty - coffee. It's strangely electrifying, and his neck grows hot under the intense scrutiny.

Fucking shit, why did he ever agree to the damn morning shift? Taiga's the chipper asshole who actually likes being awake this early, the freak, and Shougo's never once seen Satsuki anything less than awake and alert at work, no matter the time of day.

In comparison, Shougo is usually disgruntled and disheveled, forever droopy-eyed and discontent, prone to arguing with customers rather than going out of his way to accommodate them, and he's been caught asleep on the job more than once.

Who the hell thought this was a good idea?

Oh yeah, his so-called friend - because Satsuki is secretly a giant sadist, and she derives pleasure from watching Shougo struggle. If she were really pissed - or even a little worried - about his behavior, she'd fire his ass instead of putting him in a prime position to start more shit.

He glances around warily for obnoxiously pink hair and a shark's grin. There's no way she'd miss this golden opportunity to fuck with him if she were around.

"Thanks for your patronage," Shougo says, as he's been instructed, handing over the beverage. "You didn't have to just stand there," he adds, irritably. What was even the point of writing his name on the damn cup.

"You're a pretty interesting guy, Haizaki-kun," Kise says, grinning and not making any sort of move to leave. Instead, he takes a sip of the coffee and proceeds to make the most lewd, indecent sound Shougo's ever heard outside a bedroom. "Wow, this is so good!"

Flushing a-fucking-gain, Shougo snaps, "You're in public, asshole, and it's just coffee, what the fuck!" And then, because it's him, he says, "Of course it's good. I made it."

If he were some regular dumbass who didn't know how to whip up amazing ass coffee, he'd probably have been fired ten times over. Or he wouldn't have even been hired. Luckily, the interview had involved showing off his skills, and Shougo had been more than happy to do so.

(One of the few things he and his mother share is their intense love of coffee. Add in their sheer stubbornness and dissatisfaction with any coffee not made to their ridiculous ass standards, and you had two morons wasting their mornings learning how to brew and mix all kinds of coffee, constantly trying to outdo the other amidst a barrage of teasing and insults.

Shion would usually stumble in near the end, grumbling and exasperated but willing enough to accept whatever concoction they put in front of him as long as it woke him up. And he had absolutely no problem picking a winner between the two of them, despite threats and bribery and _"i'm your mom, you little shit."_

When he drops by to see his mom even now, and Shion happens to be there too, the same thing usually happens one way or the other. It's their Thing.

His whole family is ridiculous and blunt and unapologetically themselves, and Shougo absolutely loves them for it.)

"You're making it very hard for me to leave, you know?" Kise laments, licking the foam from his lips. Shougo struggles to pull his eyes away, and when he does, Kise's expression is coy.

Frowning, Shougo asks warily, "And why is that?"

"Well," he says, wryly, "All that's awaiting me at work is my grumpy, old manager, and since she's got me on a completely unnecessary diet, she'll probably try to shove a gross veggie smoothie down my throat as soon as I walk in the door."

Shougo can't help his grin at the utterly ridiculous kicked puppy expression Kise puts upon at the very thought. "Heh. You try telling her off?" slips out of his mouth before he remembers that he was trying to shoo this man out the door and that striking up a conversation with him is not likely to help with that.

Kise grins, probably thinking the same thing, and then visibly wilts. "Ugh, no. Honestly, she scares me." He glances at the clock on the wall and winces, "She's not gonna be happy I'm cutting it this close."

He laughs, "So why don't you get out of here?"

Those golden eyes very obviously trail over his body, top to waist and then back to his burning face, and the smile he's sporting is undeniably flirtatious as he admits, "Because you're way more appealing than my frazzled manager and a gross health abomination. Cuter, too."

Shougo scoffs, flustered and weirdly pleased and annoyed that he's affected at all, especially by someone who has to be a serial flirt, spouting lines like that so easily. "Yeah, well, my nap is way more appealing than this conversation, so guess we're both shit out of luck."

Kise grins, gasping dramatically, "Sleeping on the job? Haizaki-kun, have you no shame?"

He rolls his eyes. "None whatsoever. Aren't you deliberately running late to your own job?" He retorts, leaning forward to rest his hip against the counter.

"Hehe. Got me there." But he glances at the clock again, revealing ruefully, "Unfortunately, I do have to go."

"Good riddance," Shougo tells him, smirking.

Kise laughs, flashing him a warm smile as he backs toward the door. "You don't mean that! I'll come see you again, Haizaki-kun. Make sure to miss me a lot!" Then he winks, "You have my full permission to dream about me during that nap, too!"

"Like hell!" Shougo snarls after him, and Kise's pretty laughter drowns out the sound of that obnoxiously cheery bell as the door closes behind him.

-o-

He has the morning shift for two more days, and then he returns to sweet, sweet daylight hours. The boredom is just as mind-numbing, for sure, but at least Shougo can fucking function.

Plus, he no longer has to deal with college kids with a whopping no-hours sleep and only running on energy drinks and the cold, calm apathy that comes with staying awake for so long. Those kids are freaky, and it's always unnerving keeping any sort of eye-contact with them.

His shifts are far from uneventful, however, because customers are fucking stupid, and whoever coined the phrase that they're always right was talking out of their ass - or more likely, never actually dealt with them personally.

In no particular order, these are the fucks Shougo deals with:

A creepy old woman who always pretends to trip and brushes her hand against his chest (god why), and when Shougo calls her out on it, she feigns ignorance. Apparently, she only does it to him, which is fucking wonderful.

This mother and daughter duo who show up every other week with expired coupons and insist that "they'll work, just try it." When they inevitably do not, the women slink away in disgruntlement, leaving Shougo exasperated and annoyed.

That one guy who comes in, sits in the same corner booth for an hour and fifteen minutes (he's timed it), presumably contemplating life and the mysteries of the universe as he stares out the window before leaving without buying anything.

And sometimes, he gets college kids high off their asses, who do stupid shit such as: start an argument with the poster on the wall about the merits of local businesses versus corporations (which he lost), begin sobbing when Shougo revealed "no, we don't sell pizza here" (prompting Shougo to give her a free latte to shut her up), and very seriously ask him his thoughts on otters basically being sea dogs (an opinion he wholeheartedly agreed with.)

Besides that, he has to break up couples fucking in the bathroom, deal with double and triple shifts way too often because his shitty coworkers walk out on the job with no warning, train newbies not to fuck with him or risk getting their asses kicked, and then put on a smile and lie through his teeth when his boss asks him how things are going.

Seriously, fuck customers.

Generally, though, they're eager to leave, and Shougo is just as eager to get them out of his sight. The few patrons who stay usually claim tables and sit quietly working, nursing the hell out of their drinks, and Shougo can safely zone out or play on his phone to pass the time - until the next dipshit complains or makes a mess or suspiciously lewd noises come from the bathroom.

It's not perfect, but he's more or less content.

And if he wonders, idly, whether Kise actually meant it when he said he'd be back - or whether he was genuinely flirting with Shougo at all - well, shoving aside unpleasant thoughts and ignoring them is another thing at which Shougo fucking excels.

-o-

"Shou-chan~!" sings the She-Devil, sweetly.

"Fuck off," sings Shougo, who is tired of her shit.

"My dear tortured Shou-chan," Satsuki smiles, impishly, flashing her suspiciously sparkly teeth, "Are you still sulking?"

He scowls at her. He knew something was up when she was still here even after her shift ended. "M'not sulking, asshole. This job's finally sucked all the damn enthusiasm out of me, and now all that's left is this." He gestures to himself, slumped over the counter and Ready To Die.

She snorts, reaching out a hand to poke his cheek. He's too lethargic to swat her away. "Really? Because I met someone very interesting this morning. They were actually disappointed to find me manning the counter. Can you believe it?" She asks with mock offense. "I mean, look at me: I'm gorgeous."

She pauses and quirks a brow at him, and even though he rolls his eyes - because really? - he complies. Very dryly, he says, "Oh wow. How dare they. You're soooo good-looking, Satsuki. Fuck 'em."

"Why, thank you, Shou-chan! You're not so bad yourself." She giggles, and he smirks. Her expression grows teasing as she reveals, "Funny you say that, though. This very interesting someone was almost as pretty as me, and he asked after you."

Shougo jolts in his seat, surprised and embarrassingly pleased (because who else could it be), and he doesn't even care that it causes Satsuki to smile so smugly at him. "Wha- Really? What did he say?" He demands.

She giggles again. "Oho~! You really want to know, huh? Tell me, Shou-chan, do you like this guy a latte?"

"Ugggh," he groans, exasperated. "What is it with you and fucking puns?"

She shakes her head pityingly. "Oh, Shou-chan. You just wouldn't punderstand." Completely immune to his glare by this point, she merely grins as she goes on, "He just wanted to know why you hadn't been here the last few days. Apparently, it never occurred to him that you had switched shifts."

"So you told him?" Shougo asks, absently drumming his fingers on the counter. "My hours?"

When she nods, he glances at the door, almost expecting to see Kise staring back at him through the glass. Then he shakes his head and mentally curses himself for being a dumbass. What kind of fairy tale, rom-com bullshit does he think he's in?

"So you like this guy, huh?" Satsuki asks, and Shougo looks back to see her pulling her hair up into a bun. "He really seemed to like you. As if your name weren't enough, he gave me a description!" She laughs. "Something like, 'fluffy, gray hair and unfairly hot.' He mentioned that you looked best when you were smiling, too."

He flushes and buries his face in his hands with a groan. "God, why." But shit, 'unfairly hot' is running through his head on repeat, along with the fact that Kise likes it when he smiles, and just - "Uggghhh..."

"Well, he's not wrong," she tells him, patting his head. "I told you. No need to feel so insecure, my precious, smol child."

He sits up and sends her a Look. "I'm taller than you."

"But you don't deny being a precious child?"

Shougo reaches out and gently tugs on a lock of her hair. "Why am I even friends with you," he laments, likely for the millionth time.

She grabs his hand and intertwines their fingers, making sure to briefly squeeze hard enough to make him wince in retaliation. "You don't remember? In first year, you were being harassed by that shitty baldy we had for a teacher, and when he started manhandling you, I kneed him in his groin."

Shougo snorts at the memory. "I remember I couldn't believe some petite pink-haired chick had just fucking downed a teacher." He laughs, grinning now. "You- Didn't you have some witty one-liner too? Something like, 'I never liked him anyway' or- 'Finally got off your high horse.'"

She smirks, expression smugly satisfied. "I think it was more, 'Figured I'd bring you down to our level since you seem to believe we're the dirt beneath your feet.' It was worth the suspension."

"Damn," Shougo says, impressed (as always) by his best friend. "I want to be just as badass as you when I grow up."

Satsuki cackles, releasing his hand to perch hers upon her hips. "Maybe one day!"

Her phone vibrates, and when she checks it, her whole face lights up. Her smile is lovey-dovey and fond and saved for one person in particular.

"Got a date tonight?" Shougo asks, knowingly.

Satsuki beams at him, so utterly happy and in love that it makes him feel warm down to his toes. "Yeah, Riko-chan got us tickets to the finals tonight! Pretty close seats, too." She's practically vibrating with excitement.

He smiles, amused. "I still can't believe you're both such basketball nuts. Who spends their date night analyzing players and compiling data?"

"Us, obviously!" She grins cheekily.

"Lucky you."

"I'm well aware." She gives him a hug, grabs her purse, and walks back around to the other side of the counter. She stops at the door and looks back at him with a feline grin, "Hey, maybe you'll luck out too. It's not everyday someone's interested in that resting bitch face of yours."

"Fucking harpy!" He yells, tossing a pen, but it hits the door with a sad thwack as it closes behind her.

She waves through the window, cackling again, and with a huff, Shougo slumps back onto the counter and buries his smile in his arms.

-o-

"Haizakicchi~!"

"Oh. It's you."

Kise pouts, "Whaat? Aren't you excited to see me? I was sure you'd be all cute and blushy about it."

Shougo rolls his eyes, deliberately ignoring his racing heart. "You're thinking of the wrong barista."

"No way. You're the only target of my affections, Haizakiichi!" Kise insists, and ugh, his face is so pretty, it's actually making him angry.

Why is he so good-looking, what the fuck.

Shougo leans out of the Sparkle Zone and gives Kise his best unimpressed stare. "Somehow, I find that hard to believe." And then he rewinds the conversation in his head and snarls, neck hot, "Don't fucking call me that, bastard."

"There's the adorable blush I wanted to see," Kise coos, teasingly. "But the name suits you! It's cute, just like-"

"Shut the fuck up," Shougo growls. "Who the hell calls a grown man 'cute'?"

Kise laughs, and Shougo most certainly did not fucking miss it. "Says the guy who called me 'pretty' when I first stepped in here."

Fucking. Good point. Way to go, Shougo, you dumbass. Why does anyone even let you talk?

"Mine was true," Shougo says, stubbornly sticking with his argument.

Kise's mouth curls up into a pleased grin, and Shougo maybe secretly preens. Just a little.

"And so was mine!" Kise continues cheerfully when Shougo opens his mouth to protest, "Hey, no, you can't decide that for me, Haizakiichi. You're super sexy, too! You've got that whole bad boy with a heart of gold thing going on, and it works for you."

Shougo snorts and tries to smother his laughter. Kise looks delighted. "What the fuck? I'm not- I don't have- Ugh, you're ridiculous, you know that? Fuck me." He groans the last part under his breath.

"So I've been told," Kise reassures him. "And hey, was that a proposition-?"

"No," Shougo interrupts dryly, but Kise merely grins and bulldozes on.

"-because I'd like to talk to you when you're not working and therefore obligated to be nice to me."

Shougo smirks, setting aside any pleasure at the blunt admission for now. He can swoon and subsequently kick himself for it later. "Get that a lot? People obligated to be nice to you?"

"Unfortunately," Kise sighs theatrically, but somehow, Shougo gets the feeling there's some truth in his dismay.

"And what makes you think I'm any different?" He asks, curious. He's barely skirting 'nice' as it is, only a few steps left of downright rude, and his behavior so far shouldn't give any indication that he'd be cordial at all without a swift, unpleasant 'you're fired' hanging over his head.

Kise smiles, another dazzling, absolutely genuine one, and Shougo feels his breath hitch. "I just have a feeling."

Despite the fluttering fucking mess in his rib cage, Shougo manages to keep his composure.

"Shit," he says, and okay, the keeping his composure thing was a horrible, horrible lie. "Do you fucking practice that shit in a mirror or somethin'," he grumbles, somewhat irritably.

He's not blushing, for once, because all the warmth is threaded throughout his body, buzzing beneath his skin and culminating in his chest, leaving him happy and giddy and overwhelmed.

He's being courted like a fucking maiden or something, and he's actually excited about it. What the fuck. Where is his cool, i-don't-give-a-fuck persona, and can it come back to him, please? He does not do 'smitten' well.

"You might say that," Kise says, poorly hidden laughter in his eyes.

...Why does Shougo suddenly feel like there's a joke he's not getting?

He regards Kise, warily, but the man merely smiles innocently at him. With an exasperated sigh, he lets it go, but that leaves him seriously considering Kise's offer.

And he is seriously considering it - because he's more than a little intrigued by this man, despite having spoken with him only the two times.

There's possibility there, in the curve of his smile and the pure, unabashed interest on his face. In the way Kise has teased and prodded but never pushed too far or too fast and has never pressured Shougo into either conversation or this outing with him. Has never backed down or been bemused by Shougo's brashness or vulgar language.

Outside Shougo's family, only two people have ever been so quick to worm their way past his guard and into his heart, and once he realized they were different and special, Shougo latched onto them and never let go.

Taiga and Satsuki had clung just as tightly to him, and now they're absolutely inseparable, even when they're so pissed it's hard to even look at one another. They're his, and he's theirs, and he has never for a moment regretted letting them in and keeping them close.

This... Well, he's getting the same _'oh shit, he's special'_ vibe from Kise, and Shougo has never been one to ignore his instincts.

"Okay," he says, voice breaching the silence that had seemed to stretch into eternity - but that had likely only been moments.

"Okay?" Kise parrots, tone and body language hopeful.

Shougo nods once, decisive. "Okay, let's go on a date." He smiles, helplessly, and it only grows wider when Kise visibly flusters. Emboldened, he grabs a napkin and writes his number on it before sliding it over. "I get off at five, and I'm free any time after."

Kise purposely brushes his fingers against Shougo's as he picks up and pockets the napkin, grinning so widely it has to hurt. "I'll pick you up at 5:01."

"Eager, aren't you?" Shougo snorts, resisting the urge to rub away the electric, tingling feeling emanating from where Kise touched him. It's so dumb, god. Calm the hell down, you sappy fuck.

"Would it be really lame if I said I was?" Kise asks with a laugh, idly playing with the tail end of his scarf - a different one from last time but no less stylish.

"Super lame," Shougo confirms, smirking. And then, pushing aside his own pride and doubts, he admits, "I am too" with an embarrassed little smile.

Kise squeals, and Shougo blinks, startled. Somewhat sheepish, Kise tells him, "I... really want to kiss you now."

Shougo laughs, flattered, because Kise obviously means it in a good way, and who wouldn't be a little happy they drive someone so gorgeous - so bright and warm and charismatic - to distraction? Whatever he thinks about his personality and character flaws, Shougo's never been self-conscious about his looks, but it definitely feels good to be complimented.

This guy is ridiculous, though.

"You seriously asking for a kiss before our first date?" Shougo asks, quirking a brow.

Kise doesn't waver. "You haven't said you don't want to," he points out, which is hardly the convincing argument he thinks it is - but it's working anyway.

"I'm wondering how many other sadsacks you've pulled this shit on," Shougo says, moving closer under the pretense of leaning on the counter.

Kise steps forward, revealing flippantly, "Only three before you, Haizakicchi." He laments, "None of them have gone for it, though."

Shougo snorts, absently wetting his lips, and he grins wickedly when Kise's gaze becomes focused on his mouth, all pretense apparently out the window.

Not that this guy's ever been subtle.

"Hmm," Shougo murmurs, as the space between them slowly shrinks, and Kise's scent - some kind of fancy cologne - begins to overpower the ever present smell of coffee beans. "I probably shouldn't break the streak then."

Kise laughs, and he's so close now that his breath ghosts over Shougo's face. "I don't think they'd mind."

Smirking, Shougo reaches up, grips the back of Kise's neck, and yanks him down the few centimeters separating them. Kise happily lets him.

The kiss is pretty damn good, as far first kisses go and maybe better even then, and it only amplifies the excited buzzing beneath his skin, leaving him electrified and breathless as he pulls back.

Amusingly enough, Kise swoops in for another one, but Shougo chuckles and halts his advance with a hand over his mouth.

"Dude, I'm at work," Shougo reminds him, retrieving his hand when Kise gets the hint and backs off. "We're lucky no one's come in yet."

"You're worried about...?" Kise asks, trailing off, but Shougo knows what he means.

"I don't care if people see me kissing you," Shougo says, frowning, "but I'm sure someone would complain about me holding up the line to make out or some shit, and I'm already on my boss's shit list."

Shougo shrugs, "I like you, and that was kiss was..." He switches tracks when Kise grows visibly pleased, suddenly embarrassed by the blunt admission, "Anyway, I'm not gonna lose my job over some PDA. It better be because I deck an asshole customer or something."

"Glad to hear it," Kise chirps. "I'm a very affectionate person, and it'd be pretty hard not to lean down and kiss you whenever I want. Oh, and holding hands and cuddling are a must!" He then adds, seriously, "I wouldn't do any of that if you wouldn't want me to, though."

The reassurance makes something warm and heavy fill his chest, and he tries to hide a gooey, fond smile by turning his head as he says, gruffly, "Whatever. I wouldn't hate it." He's well used to Satsuki using him as a human pillow or heater whenever it strikes her fancy anyway.

"Haizakicchi?" Ryouta calls, and when Shougo turns his head to look at him-

His face is right fucking there, smile curling against Shougo's mouth, and now they're kissing again, a little longer this time but still chaste. Enough to leave him a little frustrated when Ryouta breaks it, beaming like the fucking sun as he pulls away.

"Good," is what he says, practically buzzing with energy. "I can't wait to see you again, Haizakicchi."

Shougo slaps a hand over his mouth to cover his huge, dork ass smile, groaning, "You're fucking impossible. Get out of here, go. I don't want to see your stupid, pretty face until five, ugh."

"I'll miss you too," Ryouta interprets, cheerfully. "See you later, then!" He says with a little wave, peeking over his shoulder at Shougo as he walks to the door - like a fucking sap, god.

"Just - go," Shougo says, still concealing half his face. "Fucking- I'll see you later. You better not be late."

"I'll be early, trust me!" Ryouta chimes in, waving again at Shougo through the windows outside, prompting Shougo to offer him a lackluster one in return.

It looks like Ryouta laughs one last time before Shougo loses sight of him, and Shougo can actually hear it in his head, warm and genuine.

He's already too far gone for this asshole.

-o-

Later, he gets a text from Satsuki:

**riko'sfuturewife:** _good going, babe! ;) i approve!_

Attached is an image of him and Ryouta kissing, Shougo's eyes closed and face flushed. Ryouta's got one eye open, expression satisfied as he looks directly at the camera. It's clearly a selfie from the angle, and Shougo feels himself burning with embarrassment and pleasure as he stares down at it.

**not_a_tsundere:** _Where the hell did you get that picture?!_

**riko'sfuturewife:** _ki-chan sent it to me, ofc! he was rlly excited the date went well._

**not_a_tsundere:** _Wait. You know him?_

**riko'sfuturewife:** _lol, yeah, he's one of my regulars._

**riko'sfuturewife:** _\+ we've got a mutual friend. dai-chan._

**not_a_tsundere:** _I hate you so much._

**not_a_tsundere:** _Why didn't you tell me?_

**riko'sfuturewife:** _where's the fun in that? :)_

**not_a_tsundere:** _So, so much._

Shougo bangs his head on the counter and doesn't stop even when a customer walks in.

"Hey, can I get a large frappe?" The dumbass asks, unconcerned.

Shougo groans, loudly, and then does his damn job. He probably looks constipated as he tries and fails to keep his expression neutral. The customer does not give a shit.

Once he's alone again, he slumps down on the counter and lets himself smile freely. He's way too happy right now to be furious.

Kise thought the date went well. He was excited to tell Satsuki! Shougo is quite literally going to die from happiness overload, and it's all because of his sappy ass boyfriend and awful, wonderful best friend.

...He could get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> So?? It's ridiculous, I know. OTL but like,, i really wanted kise appreciation!! he deserves it,, and haizaki/momoi/kagami friendship is life!! the Ultimate Trio,,
> 
> Anyway, Momoi/Aida is my OTP, and there's not nearly enough fics with it imo,, Part Two of this series is gonna feature some of Momoi befriending Haizaki & Kagami, but it will mostly be about the girls,, meeting, getting together, dating,, domestic fluff probs. Anyone interested?? 
> 
> i mean I'm gonna write it anyway, but it'd be cool if you were!! we can gush together.


End file.
